Restaurant Review

Located in a strip of restaurants lining North Beacon Street in Allston, YoMa serves outstanding Burmese cuisine to its many loyal customers. Having never tried Burmese food before, I was filled in by—owner and chef—Sai Kwai. Burmese food is related to Indian cuisine by the use of curries, and to Vietnamese and Thai food in salads and noodle dishes. The food is fresh, a little spicy, and intensely flavorful. Sai, head of the family-run restaurant, left Burma as a political refugee in 1988, first opening a Mongolian restaurant in Kansas City before moving to Boston. While there are no other Burmese restaurants in Boston, it is clear YoMa would outshine any competition.

The first dish served was the most identifiably Burmese—a salad of cabbage, roasted peanuts, tomatoes, lettuce, crispy garlic peas, and sesame seeds, with pickled tea leaves as dressing. This Tea Salad, unlike anything I've ever tried before, is deliciously mind-blowing. The ingredients are plated separately on the dish, and when mixed together form a crunchy, salty, lightly spiced salad that hits on a variety of tastes. The secret lies in the pickled green tea leaves, flown in from Burma. Sai considers the Tea Leaf Salad to be the star dish at YoMa, but for those with a deep aversion to green tea, there are a variety of other salads and appetizers to be had.

Next came pumpkin tofu, a dish so delicious that I cannot believe I've missed out on Burmese food for 20 years of my life. The dish comes with generous pieces of tofu and steamed pumpkin in a slightly sweet tomato-lemongrass sauce, with rice and crispy spiced peas on the side. Part of the dish's appeal is how fresh it tastes: YoMa never fries its food, and Sai prides himself on using the most natural ingredients possible. The tofu is made of chickpeas instead of soybeans, yielding a softer, more mellow taste than usual. The pumpkin and tofu are perfectly light, slightly spicy, and completely delicious.

The Assorted Noodles, a dish with a variety of tastes and textures, is also a popular favorite. Included in the dish are three types of steamed Burmese noodles, cabbage, cucumber, tofu, peanuts, cilantro, onion, potatoes, and tamarind sauce. Spicy and sweet, the variety of ingredients makes this entree a menu standout. The peanuts add a crunch to the trio of noodles, and each bite holds flavorful bits of cilantro and garlic. The chunks of potato mixed into the noodles were a bit overwhelming, but the vegetables and spices added enough diversity to keep me wanting more. Because YoMa doesn't stir fry, the noodles are hearty and flavorful without added oily weight.

YoMa has two separate menus, one fully vegetarian, almost entirely vegan, and one with meat dishes. Non-veg standouts include the Chicken Potato rice dish and the Happy Shrimp. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes are cooked using separate kitchen equipment. I sampled dishes off the vegetarian menu, but the non-vegetarian meals earn equally rave reviews on Yelp, in The Boston Globe, and from customers who've written to Sai after their meals, telling him how much they enjoyed his food. A loyal fan base keeps YoMa thriving through the rough economy, with diners coming from all around New England to get their fix. The three dishes I tried are customer favorites, but everything on the menu is made with the same flavorful spice combinations. Like Vietnamese and Thai food, ingredients such as ginger, garlic, lemongrass, cilantro, and tamarind give the food a slightly sweet and spicy fresh taste.

For those looking for a new type of food to fall in love with, YoMa offers up unique tastes for around $10 per dish. Take it from me—the longer you wait to try the food at YoMa, the greater your regret when you realize just what you've been missing.